Two emerging Ukrainian musicians, Anna Petrash and Renata Tovstenko—who performs under the stage name Shmiska—are building successful Ukrainian-language music careers while living and studying in Paris. Both teenagers when Russia’s full-scale invasion uprooted their lives in 2022, they now navigate the emotional and physical distance between a peaceful European capital and a homeland subjected to regular missile and drone attacks.
Tovstenko, originally from Chernihiv, is a sociology student at the Sorbonne who shifted from Russian-language music to Ukrainian, French, and English after the invasion. Her music, including the hit song “Zapalnychka” and the EP “Merezhyvo,” has gained millions of streams and earned her recognition at major Ukrainian festivals like Atlas Festival and Faine Misto, as well as a MUZVAR award and a spot on Apple Music’s Up Next program. Petrash, born in Poltava and raised in Kyiv, creates indie-pop and folk-infused music, releasing recent works like the EP “Tsvit” alongside her studies in audiovisual arts and film directing in Paris. The two artists also collaborated on the September 2025 release “Vvecheri.”
Living across borders creates a sense of parallel lives. Petrash notes that her environment shapes her output: in Ukraine, her writing responds to the collective trauma and surroundings of her homeland, whereas in Paris, her songs focus more on internal personal feelings. She often experiences a sharp contrast between monitoring the destruction of her homeland on her phone and navigating the normal routines of an untouched Paris morning. Similarly, Tovstenko explains that the distance and separation caused by the war inherently influence her music, even when writing about relationships and heartbreak.
Practically, maintaining these careers requires relentless international travel and precise scheduling. Both artists balance university exams, marketing or film work, and recording sessions in both France and Ukraine. To perform at festivals or attend award ceremonies, they frequently endure grueling travel days—studying for Sorbonne exams on return buses or rehearsing for weeks before flying back to France almost immediately after a show.
While they rely on flexible recording arrangements and local collaborators in both countries, the uncertainty of Ukraine’s wartime concert industry complicates their futures. Tovstenko is also exploring French-language music to build an audience in France, viewing it as a career step while keeping her Shmiska project alive. Petrash continues directing her own music videos and working with French film crews alongside her Ukrainian connections. Neither artist feels that living abroad inherently changes how audiences view their art, nor do they force outside elements into their Ukrainian music. Ultimately, both remain caught between two worlds—juggling Parisian classrooms and Ukrainian concert stages—while sustaining a deep, artistic connection to a homeland they have never truly left.
